Probably the quarter-final draw that Arsène wanted to avoid, happened last night. For a few minutes, it seemed as if a trip to Deepdale was on the cards but in the end, Wayne Rooney’s belly flop meant the defence of the FA Cup will continue at the Lido Old Trafford. It will be Arsenal’s first venture outside of the capital since they faced Brighton.

And a chance to improve the recent cup record against United, 2005’s win in Cardiff the only victory in the last four meetings. You can extend that to any competition and as we are all too familiar with, a horrendous record against United generally.

No victories since 2011 is depressing reading to the extent that I didn’t want to go back any further; 1 in 8 was a bad enough record. I should imagine that single goal victory is probably the only one in about 14 or 15 meetings.

Last night’s win for United is clouded by Rooney’s dive. There’s no point in pussyfooting around the subject. It’s just baffling how anyone can claim it was otherwise. Simon Grayson has to be mindful of FA charges for misconduct but even he, the aggrieved manager, called it going to ground without contact. Avoiding a challenge seemed to be the determination.

That’s the same way he avoided a challenge at Old Trafford when he went down after brushing Sol Campbell’s shorts or when he managed to avoid serious injury when Manuel Almunia’s outstretched hand came within half a yard of his foot as the ball ran out of play.

Whether anyone speaks to Rooney in private is another matter. Most managers would quietly be pleased with the player for winning a cheap penalty which ended the tie. It’s a part of professional life and yes, players take the flack for those actions, rightly so and until the ingrained mentality in the game changes, we will always be faced with these situations.

The plus point is that generally speaking, it takes a while for the players – and their team – to win another penalty when there is an element of doubt. Whether that holds true at Old Trafford will be an interesting outcome.

Amid the billing and cooing in the aftermath of Sunday’s win over Middlesbrough, the question of how to fit Özil and Cazorla into a line-up with Alexis has been pondered. It’s a natural reaction; tinker with a formation, put old pegs in different holes and with a good performance, an alternative career evolves for a player.

This week’s model sees the question of whether Santi Cazorla is a long-term replacement for Mikel Arteta, settling into a deeper-lying role. On the face of it, a perfectly reasonable question with the immediate solution that frees up space for an attacking trio of Walcott, Özil and Alexis Sanchez, with Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as viable alternatives for the wide role.

With Alexis’ work rate, that particular combination fits nicely into home matches against weaker opposition where the tackles aren’t going to fly in. Of course it depends on a defensive midfielder alongside Cazorla, the water carrier quietly getting on with the job of protecting the back four, feeding the ball to the Spaniard as a prompt for attacking passages of play.

It wouldn’t work in the slightest at, for example, Old Trafford where United have routinely outmuscled Arsenal in midfield. Last season’s Premier League meeting underlines the approach they take in this fixture. Whether Van Gaal will change it, I don’t know but it seems to me that in three weeks time, Francis Coquelin will line-up alongside either Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere as opposed to the overtly attacking formation which emerges with Cazorla deeper.

The issue is not so much who fits where but of the squad system itself. It’s uncharted territory for Arsenal having two good / world-class players in most positions. Even Arsène’s successful squads have not really had this many good players in reserve. If you look at The Invincibles, the alternative choices weren’t as experienced or of the calibre of the current squad.

When you’ve got Pires, Henry, Bergkamp ahead of Vieira, Campbell, Toure, Lauren and Lehmann, you probably don’t feel the need, as a manager, to invest, particularly as their injury records were for the most part, a lot better than the current group.

Viewing a player’s future can be too rigid. The modern game, even a decade on from Wenger’s most successful squad incarnation, is about rotation, making the most of the resources available. Injuries this season have been bad, in key positions which have negatively impacted through a lack of depth.

The rigidity with which formations or player positions is a thing of the past. Wenger’s reputation for stubbornness emerged in part from a strident belief in a certain tactical outline. Fluidity in the application was left to the players free will; to a certain extent it always is with decisions left to individuals once they cross the white line.

There has to be more flexibility now, something which has emerged in recent weeks. Injury and results forced Arsène’s hand in the same way other managers have found in the past. The core style of play remains – short passing, rapid movement – otherwise each week becomes disjointed but there also has to be more flexibility, to adapt to opponents and situations.

As much as his beliefs were responsible for that, so to was the quality of players available. That rests with Arsène, he signed them, moulded a number of them but was never able to find the right combination to bring success until last season. Maybe that was it, maybe he will find more in the future; it’s a matter of judgement.

As well as immediate opinions, we have the luxury of hindsight to inform us. Wenger does not but his decision making is deemed better than ours and that’s part of his reward package; he’s expected to get it right more often.

Arsenal vindicated Arsène’s decision to field a strong XI against Middlesbrough with a comfortable victory, the two-goal margin of victory only disappointing because the performance and effort deserved more. It wasn’t through lack of trying; Tomas Mejias in the Middlesbrough goal played well, making great stops from pretty much the whole of Arsenal midfield and attack.

Post-match, Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka lamented his sides’ performance. They hadn’t, he believed, done themselves justice and lacked the intensity which underpinned their victory at Manchester City in the previous round.

The Spaniard misses the point or chooses to ignore it; Arsenal did not let their opponents settle. Straight from the kick-off, the passing was crisp and precise, the movement sharp and quick. Middlesbrough most likely, have never faced a side in this form. It was the epitome of the short passing game, an idealised version of the style Arsène wanted but could never be produced consistently enough over the years.

It was the stand-out performance of the season so far, Santi Cazorla picked up the baton and conducted a symphony of football. Mesut Özil rightfully gained praise for his part, a virtuoso performance indeed, but it was the Spaniard whose vision freed the German’s spirit.

The opening goal encapsulated all that was good about Arsenal’s performance. All eleven players were involved in the move (Opta tweeted the graphic on the right yesterday to illustrate the point – click on it to enlarge) with ‘Boro barely sniffing the ball until Mejias picked the ball out of the net. A slight exaggeration, I know; it was, I think, the strongest contender for Goal of the Season so far.

If the first put the lid on the coffin of Middlesbrough’s FA Cup dreams, Olivier Giroud’s quick-fire second nailed it shut. The visitors were slow to react and the French international showed outstanding technique under pressure to guide his volley past Mejias.

Speaking to the press afterwards, Arsène was quick to praise Giroud, highlighting his improvement as a player since joining Arsenal. The striker has his critics, some of that is relevant, some not so; it’s the same as anyone else receives. He is a good centre forward, a traditional leader of the line reminiscent of Alan Smith.

Yes, he could stay on his feet more often but since returning to the side, it seems the injury he suffered at Goodison Park has played on his mind. Certainly his dismissal against QPR was as a result of that. Whilst his body has healed, his mind will take longer and to a certain extent that should be expected.

But yesterday showed that little bit extra he has developed in his game; his control is better than normally associated with the target man whilst he linked well with Cazorla, Özil and Welbeck to create space for others. Arsenal enjoyed a lot of dangerous possession down the left in the first half with Kieran Gibbs playing as an auxiliary forward for most of the opening forty-five minutes, making the most of the opportunities the visitors afforded him.

That Arsenal were so dominant, perversely makes it harder for players to push claims to usurp the incumbents of the starting line-up place. It would, for example, be harsh on Nacho Monreal to make way for Gibbs on the basis of this performance. However, knowing that the ‘understudies’ are hitting form and can seamlessly slip into the side ensures that the rest of the squad knows they have to perform at a high level consistently to keep their place in the side and that is no bad thing.

At the back, Arsenal were not tested particularly which afforded Gabriel a relatively straightforward debut. He picked up the obligatory booking but dealt with the visitors attacks in an unfussy manner, using the ball well and keeping it simple to retain possession.

Arsène praised the Brazilian post-match, underlining that nerves played a part in constraining Gabriel’s performance. We didn’t need a flamboyant centre back yesterday or anything spectacular – do you ever in that role? What we saw was a player determined not to make a mistake and willing to put the team first with a cynical block that earned his caution. It’s a hint of the ‘dark arts’ which Arsenal have been reluctant to employ in the past.

Perhaps it was the absence of the third goal which caused Arsène to observe that “if [Middlesbrough] had come back to 2-1 I think we would have struggled a little bit.” It’s a curious statement, perhaps overly generous in praise for the visitors but hinting at a fragility in confidence in the squad.

There shouldn’t have been. Arsenal played with less intensity in the second half, content to pick off their opponents on the counter. To me, there was always a feeling that Arsenal could have upped the ante and gone up a gear if ‘Boro had scored.

Perhaps Wenger’s concern reflects the profligacy Arsenal showed in front of goal, Walcott might have scored a couple whilst Gibbs, Özil and Cazorla were all denied in their pursuit of glory. You sensed that a third would have opened the floodgates and there could have been few complaints had that been the case. Arsenal were that dominant.

All in all, there can be few, if any complaints. It was a good performance and a clean sheet. In a knockout competition, that’s all you can ask for. We wait to see if the football gods deliver another kind draw in the last eight.

The overtime in the Premier League Treasury department is certainly being racked up. Still counting the money from the new domestic TV rights deal, eyebrows were raised when it was announced that they would soon be receiving another £180m from the naming rights of top-flight football. I have no idea what the money will be spent on but have a useful suggestion.

The bloated FA Cup weekend continues with Middlesbrough arriving at The Emirates with a desperate desire to replicate their success at The Etihad in the last round. They will face an Arsenal side with a few but not too many changes from midweek.

It’s the performance which Arsène will be looking at, as much as the result. The confidence won during the five-match unbeaten run at the start of the year was quickly lost in the tepid outing at White Hart Lane. There was little evidence of it returning during the win over Leicester; indeed, Arsenal can count themselves fortunate to have won the match.

But win they did and no doubt that helped put a bit of a spring in steps which would otherwise have felt heavy following the defeat to Tottenham. The FA Cup is providing the filip the season needs once more, the Premier League campaign remains firmly entrenched in the battle for fourth, one that nobody really seems to want to win. Or be capable of winning, more accurately.

The changes to this afternoon’s XI will largely be expected. We’ll see Gabriel’s début although alongside whom depends on the state of Laurent Koscielny’s shoulder. The French international is expected to be the new boy’s guiding light with Per Mertesacker given a much-needed rest.

It’s a tricky decision for Arsène. Whilst the back four needs to be shuffled to protect the players and the replacements are all good players, he needs some continuity. With Wojciech Szczesny returning in goal, that is two changes already. The third will be Kieran Gibbs replacing Nacho Monreal on the left.

Midfield is largely a case of if you’re fit, you’re playing. Tomas Rosicky will partner Francis Coquelin with Arteta and Oxlade-Chamberlain absent. A lot of focus is on the return of Jack Wilshere but after two months out, a week in training seems a short time to regain fitness and most likely, leaves the England international exposed to the twangs and knacks which have besieged the squad this season.

The reality is that a place on the bench beckons but it’s ironic in an Alanis Morissette kind of way that when he comes into the side, it will be into a similar role he is asked to play for his country. The very one that Arsène believed earlier in the season, didn’t bring the best out of Wilshere.

Tuesday’s failed experiment of a false 9, 10 or whatever you want to describe it as, will surely not be repeated. The Arsenal attack was blunted in the absence of Giroud or Welbeck with possession ceded too readily in the final third. Walcott has the pace but the squad missed a target man. Not that it was that effective at White Hart Lane when one was on the pitch.

It means the line-up will be something like,

Were this a Premier League fixture, I suspect Arsène would risk Alexis Sanchez in the starting line-up but it isn’t and whilst the back four has an FA Cup XI feel to it, the rest of the line-up is pretty much made up of those who are fit. Only Flamini could really make a difference to the midfield, certainly with any expectation of lasting the full ninety minutes. And most people prefer the younger Frenchman in the starting XI.

It won’t be a straightforward rout. Middlesbrough come into the game having won six on the trot, conceding just three goals in the last nine. It’s relative of course, the Championship doesn’t provide the level of opposition in the Premier League and I would expect Arsenal to show the same return against the likes of Huddersfield, Cardiff, Brentford and Blackpool.

Nonetheless, the Teesiders should not be underestimated as Manchester City proved but a focussed Arsenal should win and take their place in the last eight.

From The Vaults

On this day in 1930, Arsenal travelled to Ayresome Park for a match in that season’s FA Cup, the fifth round providing the occasion. Middlesbrough were ninth in Division One at the time, Arsenal seven places lower having already lost a dozen games in the season already.

‘Boro probably took confidence from their 2 – 1 win at Highbury and indeed this victory was Arsenal’s only one of the three between the two sides that season. 42,073 hardy souls watched the game, generating £3,100 in gate receipts on the day (roughly £1m in today’s money), witnessing Arsenal take another step along the Road To Wembley, one that ended with the club lifting the FA Cup for the first time in its history.

A repeat of this today would be most welcome. Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it.

Saturday morning and the bloated FA Cup weekend’s continue. It’s reaching a point where the fourth round will struggle to be completed when the Quarter-Final draw is made. “One.Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion or Middlesbrough will play Number 6.That’s Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Southampton or Bolton Wanderers…”

In the meantime, you can enjoy this morning’s playlist, Dancing Shoes, which can be found in the right sidebar on Dad’s Jukebox or in your browser here.

Arsène spoke to the media yesterday, hinting at the usual changes to the team for the cup competitions. Wojciech Szczesny will strut his funky stuff in goal whilst Gabriel is set to make his awaited début. It’s not quite long-awaited, he’s only been at Arsenal three weeks or so.

Anticipated? I think so, £11m is not a small fee so the promise of a good player is there, emphasized by the reports of his time at Villarreal which were wholly positive. Laurent Koscielny’s shoulder is the doubt ahead of tomorrow’s match, with the general consensus being that the French international is the one earmarked to partner Gabriel in the centre of defence.

To some extent, I’m surprised by that. Mertesacker offers the calmness, the experience that you would expect to bring some calm and help the new boy settle in. Not the case it seems. I wonder if Arsène thinks Koscielny’s pace offers the prospect of cover if Gabriel’s nerves take over?

Language, it seems, is also a problem. His grasp of English is minimal according to the manager, a problem that Wenger related to as he recalled his time in Japan and the struggles with a new language. He highlighted the fundamental issue for the Brazilian,

“The disadvantages are the scope for costly communication breakdowns. It is a problem. When you don’t speak English and you don’t understand: ‘Come out, come back, right, left,’ it is a problem for a defender. You need to know the key words: ‘Referee. Offside. Foul’.“

I don’t know why Arsène is worried, his defence have played like they don’t understand each other for most of the season so Gabriel should fit right in.

Wenger has been a successful cup manager and is rightly proud of his record forged in the first half of his reign. Winning the cup was part of the momentum, especially leading into The Invincibles, with the final in 2003 just keeping the trophy winning mentality ticking over.

Revisionism was in the air though. Arsenal, the manager claimed, had suffered in the Champions League due to fielding strong sides in the cup in matches preceding European ties. I seem to recall the opposite holding true more often than not in recent seasons as Blackburn will attest.

There’s no doubt Arsène has fielded teams that he thinks can win the domestic cup ties and to be fair, only when it goes wrong does anyone complain. Others followed his lead and now it’s considered the norm to have distinct XI’s for the senior competitions with cups seeing a number of changes.

It’s taken Arsène a while to find the balance and there’s no doubt that the stronger squad helps. When you think back to some of the sides fielded, it seems surprising that just United and Stoke handed us our Arsenal’s on a plate.

By his own admission, the FA Cup was third on his list of priorities behind a top four finish and the Champions League. That’s fair enough, the Premier League and Europe is where modern football is focussed. As he noted though, winning a trophy is important, especially at a club like Arsenal. When seasons pan out as this one has, a cup run brings welcome relief from the inconsistencies which besiege the league campaign. With a favourable draw in the Champions League, the next four weeks offer the prospect of a spring in our step.

It’s all relative of course, and retaining the FA Cup won’t disguise the fact that this season hasn’t been the stride forward that was hoped for or expected. Why win it all in one go? There’s always next season…

From The Vaults

The early 1980s were proving to be a graveyard for Arsenal dreams but 1982-83 hinted at a return to former cup glories. Tottenham had taken over as cup kings of north London with consecutive FA Cup wins following Arsenal’s three-in-a-row final appearances from 1978 to 1980 but hints of a recovery were on show.

Either side of these meetings with Middlesbrough, Arsenal faced Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final; it didn’t end well, United winning 4-2 at Highbury and 2-1 at Old Trafford but with the League a distant dream, any success was welcome.

The FA Cup provided hope albeit with a tighter affair than many expected. Malcolm Allison may have ditched the fedora but his penchant for big cup days hadn’t diminished. ‘Boro had made hard work of reaching the fifth round, scraping past Bishop’s Stortford in a third round replay before overcoming Notts County – then a top-flight club – before this meeting with Arsenal.

He probably fancied their chances; Arsenal were twelfth in the First Division as Terry Neill struggled to take what was on paper a talented squad back to the heady heights of yesteryear. In truth, his reign was coming to an end; by the end of the year, defeat at home to Walsall would all but signal his departure.

But for a brief moment, the flame flickered as Arsenal offered hope of brighter times ahead.

I’m not sure what to make of it to be honest. No disparagement to Brentford FC, players and supporters but I’m genuinely puzzled by the accolade. Wojciech Szczesny left a huge impression at Griffin Park in his six month loan spell, to the extent that he was named their “Goalkeeper of the Decade“.

It’s the level of expectation I have of an Arsenal goalkeeper – of any player – that they should be in contention for that honour. Even so, 28 games is a short time in which to be crowned ‘King of the Hill’ and probably says more about the level of football they were gracing through the first decade of this century than anything else.

No doubt we’ll get a taste of his abilities on Sunday as he returns to the starting line-up for the FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Middlesbrough. His won’t be the only new face but I suspect that Arsène has plenty to ponder given the performances against Tottenham and Leicester. Neither were encouraging although the latter more explicable given the defeat in the former.

His mind will be churning with the injuries suffered. It’s too soon, surely, for Jack Wilshere to start a match and with Aaron Ramsey already labelled ‘doubtful’ for either leg of the Champions League tie against Monaco

Olivier Giroud sighed wistfully as he recalled his time at Tours and the near escape he had when Middlesbrough and Celtic both expressed an interest in his services. And then he offered the usual platitudes about respect and focus to ensure that Arsenal don’t follow Manchester City’s suit into the FA Cup’s waste paper bin. God knows we could do without that this season. It’s been an utter disappointment in the Premier League with last season’s stepping stone built on quicksand. A good run does lift the spirits and this opportunity, coming on the back of last season’s triumph, is a bright spot.

Look, it’s really quiet so time for a trip down memory lane. On this day in 1993, Nottingham Forest arrived at Highbury for an FA Cup Fifth Round tie having waited nearly three weeks to find out who their opponents would be. Ian Wright had made the trip to Yeovil worthwhile, a glorious chip for the third made a long journey to the western edges of this realm worthwhile.

There followed an epic struggle with Leeds; two-down against the defending champions seemed a desperate situation but Ray Parlour and Paul Merson hauled Arsenal back into the competition. Merson’s late curling effort was one of the key moments in the season. The replay at Elland Road was won with a smash-and-grab performance in ninety minutes preceding extra time when Arsenal’s fitness proved vital and Ian Wright once more the difference close to the final whistle.

It set up the match with a Forest side who were struggling to avoid relegation. It wasn’t even glorious failure come May as they had been in the bottom three virtually all season. Arsenal meanwhile were twelfth, having lost seven of the previous eleven Premier League games, winning just one of the other four. The cups were providing light relief.

This match stands out in the memory for Wright’s brace which won the tie. It was a familiar feeling; if Wright didn’t score, you wondered where the goals were coming from. To this point, Arsenal had managed three goals or more just three times in all competitions – Yeovil and Leeds in the FA Cup, Palace in the League Cup- and would do so three more times before the end of the season.